Sunday, February 24, 2013

SWITCHBACK - CHAPTER FIVE

PLEASE START WITH CHAPTER ONE, published on February 16th, 2013. This is a fictional story.

Mortality was my enemy. I tearfully watched as the souls of people that I cared about leave their body. The spirit would sometimes appear as a small orb or shifting mass of tiny lights. As the soul drifted away from the body I discovered that I could grasp it without harm. I would sometimes feel a slight shock or warmth but it wasn’t a negative experience. Sadly, I could not return my dearly departed’s essence to their mortal coil. I would release the soul and it would drift away. Their life was too brief.

None of my children lived beyond a few breaths of air. I tried mating with several types of Changelings, Blanks, Hybrids, and humans. To no avail, I just buried my progeny and it hurt my heart. I raised abandoned children to reduce my loneliness. It was enjoyable to watch them grow but inevitably they would die. I still desired for a baby of my own blood and body. Many eons passed, days seemed much like each other.

With a heart tired of mourning, I began to wander the beautiful land between the Adriatic and Aegean Seas. I altered my physical facade to blend in with the local people. At the foot of Mount Parnassos in Greece, I found a sanctuary inland from the Iteas Bay. Delphi was the center of the world. Women who practiced positive sorcery were elevated to the position of High Priestess referred to as the Oracle named Pythia. The Oracle would enter a sacred space in the temple, breath holy fumes, fall into a trance, and predict the future for pilgrims who paid money to learn of their fate. Leaders and ordinary citizens held utter confidence in Pythia's opinion. No vital decision was determined without conferring with the celebrant.

I became a devotee and spent many years at the temple serving the Oracle who was the emissary of Apollo, the god of light, harmony and order. He was preceded by Gaia/Ge and Themis but usurped their maternal power when he slew an enormous python snake-dragon. The sanctuary was established to honor his battle as the fumes of the dead beast supplied the visions to the Oracle. The Amphictyonic League existed to administer the sacred sanctuary and designate the magical female officiates and other employees chosen from among the local residents.

The temple’s hierarchy considered certain snakes to be powerful. I would transform into a bird of prey to capture these reptiles alive. Venemous krait, cobra or another elapids were highly prized. I was praised when I presented these vipers to the shrine and sometimes awarded a session with the cryptic Seer. Unfortunately, one of the League’s servants saw me convert into a bird and sought to curry favor by informing the local coven mistress.

The coven learned and exploited my vulnerabilities. I was eventually captured, moved outside of the League’s reach, and enslaved by coven mistress Tanis. She desperately wanted to become the Oracle and abuse the role to rule the world. The members of the League refused to appoint her to the position of sage. Tanis was a skilled negative witch who governed her followers with brutality. She would place destructive hexes upon anyone who displeased her with the exception of the League. She was certain that I could teach her to be a Changeling so that she could coerce the League to select her. She had me beaten, tortured, and there was no escape. I wished for death to liberate me from the agony of incarceration.

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What I write is my opinion. This is my first venture on the internet (I'm not listed anywhere else). Reside in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, USA. I'm on Twitter and Facebook: http://twitter.com/ImaBMusing
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